DUI Car Chase on NJ Turnpike, Police Charge

An allegedly drunk man led state police on a dramatic car chase 18 miles up the New Jersey Turnpike Thursday morning, in an incident that started in East Brunswick.

The incident started at roughly 5:50 a.m. Thursday, when a state trooper tried to pull over a silver Toyota Tacoma near mile marker 79, in East Brunswick.

The Toyota had been speeding and driving recklessly, Lt. Brian Polite with the state police told Patch.

However, the driver refused to stop, according to Polite, instead leading the trooper on an 18-mile pursuit in the northbound lanes of the Turnpike. The chase never reached speeds beyond 75 miles per hour, said Polite.

While chasing the car, the trooper called ahead and other state troopers deployed spike strips on the roadway, designed to puncture tires, said Polite.

“That made him slow down,” said Polite. ”He was able to get a few more miles before he was forced to stop because of his tires.”

Benjamin Torres, 34, of Hackensack was removed from the car and arrested at mile marker 98.5 in the Carteret area. He was charged with DWI and eluding police, Polite said.

“While an incident like this might seem scary to other motorists, we are trained for this and we put a stop to it without injury to other motorists,” Polite told Patch.

Stock image/Morguefile